5 Benefits of Avocado Oil for Skin and Hair Care

Avocado Oil Benefits for Skin & Hair

It's no secret - avocados are delicious and nutritious. They taste great with a bowl of tortilla chips, on toast, or even in your morning smoothie. The gorgeous green fruit is packed with vitamins, protein, copper, fiber, and monounsaturated fats that help to develop cells both inside AND outside of your body. Avocados deserve all the praise they get and more! It’s an amazingly versatile resource that has various benefits for dozens of skincare and beauty needs.

You can virtually use the entire fruit so there's minimal waste with maximum benefit! The oil of the avocado itself can be gently massaged into the skin, added to a face mask, or mixed with creams, lotions, body oils, shower gels, and lots of other bath and beauty products.

Most skin types should be able to use avocado oil in their daily regime without negative effects. If you have an allergy to avocado, it is recommended that you avoid the topical use of avocado oil for your skin.  

History of Avocado Oil

Dating back all the way back to 5,000 B.C., the first avocado tree was cultivated as a food source in Mexico and Central and South America. People began eating the fruit in hopes of relieving several different internal issues but then started to use the pulp topically for both cosmetic and healing purposes, recognizing avocado oil's benefits for skin and hair.

Mayans and Aztecs were known to use avocado as face masks and for treating minor skin irritations like insect bites and stings.

Due to its potential healing properties, the word spreads quicker than avocado on toast! Avocado trees were making their way over to Europe and the delicious fruit was being sold and purchased in countries everywhere.

Over the years, the avocado picked up a lot of nicknames like 'butter pear', 'vegetable butter', and our personal favorite, 'alligator🐊pear'! 

As we all have undoubtedly witnessed - one minute your avocados are green and plump, then the next minute they've shriveled down into brown mush! Avocado growers searched to find a way to still be able to profit from blemished avocados, which eventually led to the development of oil extraction!

The extraction process is called "cold pressing" which is a chemical-free way to expel the oil from the fruit and compress the pulp into an oil.

What Makes Avocados So Good for Your Skin?

One of the qualities that make avocado oil stand out from the other oils is the level of oleic acid it contains. Oleic acid is a fatty acid that is known for its enhancement of skin permeability. Our skin is a layer of protection that is designed to keep the bad stuff out and the good stuff in.

However, certain oils provide us with optimal hydration and nourishment and our skin is happy to absorb them! Oleic acid is what helps our skin open up the gates to welcome in the nutrients and while most oils hover around 15% oleic acid composition, avocado is comprised of a whopping 63% of the fatty acid! 

Because of the high levels of oleic acid, avocado oil is a well-known ‘carrier oil’. This means that you can combine avocado oil with other essential oils so that the nutrients from those oils can be delivered to the skin and be absorbed more effectively, maximizing its use for skincare.

With oleic acid levels like that, what kinds of healthy goodness is our skin absorbing from avocado oil? Well, the answer to that question is quite a long list!

• Vitamins A, B, D, and E
• Potassium
• Lecithin
• Amino Acids
• Antioxidants
• Sterolins
• Linoleic Acid
• Phytosterols
• Beta Carotene
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids 

Another interesting fact about avocado oil's benefits for the skin is it acts as a humectant, which retains and preserves the moisture in your skin.

Humectants work by drawing water molecules to the skin either from humidity in the air or bonding with the water molecules already in your skin, increasing and enhancing your body’s natural water content.

Moisturizes

Avocados are extremely rich in fatty acids and vitamin E, which translates to insane levels of skin moisturization.

• Calms dry, flaky skin
• Keeps skin soft and moisturized to promote a healthy glow
• Reduce water loss through the skin’s surface
• Promote moisture retention in skin and hair
• Hydrates dull complexions
• Moisturizes to help fight premature signs of aging
• Moisturizes irritated, inflamed skin
• Be an effective emulsifier in the formulation of soaps and quick-drying oils

Can Help Relieve Skin Inflammation

The antioxidants found in avocados are responsible for aiding in the relief of dry skin. High in vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids will assist in healthy cell function and decrease the appearance of inflammation.

• Exhibit anti-oxidant properties
• Protect skin by creating an antimicrobial barrier against harsh environmental elements
• Promote the growth of newer, firmer skin
• Nourish cells
• Collagen synthesis
• Repair and improve the appearance of damaged tissue

Cleanses

With the combined efforts of antioxidants and vitamin E, the uses of avocado oil for the skin can potentially reduce redness while providing hydrating nutrients for an amazingly natural way to assist with oily skin issues. 

• Keeps skin hydrated without oily residue
• Balance oil production
• Can Calm Sunburned Skin
• The vitamin D and beta carotene found in avocado oil are essential for soothing sunburned skin. 
• Contains antioxidants that may help with temporary sunburn relief
• Keeps sunburned skin from drying out
• Maintain skin’s moisture level

Nourishes

Vitamin E, potassium, lecithin, and omega fatty acids contribute to the avocado's ultimate nourishing benefit for many skin types. The natural substances in avocado oil are great for moisturizing and contain ingredients that potentially fight off the effects of premature aging. 

• Can enhance the beauty of the skin
• Delivers nutrients deep into the skin 
• Produce and maintain the skin's natural oil barrier
• Helps retain skin elasticity

Can Help Improve Scalp Health

Individuals who tend to experience a dry scalp may see some improvement by applying avocado oil to their head and hair. 

• Moisturizes dry scalp and brittle hair follicles 
• Provides hair shafts with essential minerals
• Can help seal hair cuticle cells
• Can help prevent hair breakage

For your daily dose of avocado oil, our silky-smooth Whipped Body Butters are a deeply moisturizing treat for your skin! You can customize your body butter to your liking with several different fragrance choices such as Peaches and Cream, Perfect Periwinkle, or Cool Cucumber!

For a limited time get 25% off our customizable 8oz body butter with coupon code: SMOOTHSKIN at checkout! Click Here To Get Yours

Holy guacamole! Be sure to share 💚the avocado love with all your friends! 🥑